Now we (partially) know why. She was putting the finishing touches on what seems to have begun with some old-fashioned butt-on-bike-seat research.
From FT Alphaville:
FT Alphaville exclusive: Inside the gig economy
The gig economy is coming under increased scrutiny as poor worker conditions, worker protests and first-hand testimonials draw attention to the fact that it may not be technology powering the app revolution as much as plain old contractual insecurity and worker oversupply.
In the late summer of 2016, workers contracted in the informal food dispatching industry took to the streets to protest against many of the practices the flushly funded app companies were deploying in the field. They spoke out against the unilateral and unexpected application of new terms and conditions, rate slashes and low wages far below the London living wage of £9.75 in the face of ever expanding courier supply.
They also complained about being lured into the industry on promises of £16-£20 per hour rates, many of which never materialised in practice or ended up being short-term teaser rates only. Last of all, they complained about the reluctance of corporate executives in the gig economy corporations to engage with them as a collective unit.
FT Alphaville has been tracking the gig economy’s transformation into a neo-feudalism movement for a while now. What we’ve discovered is that those who use, love and defend the apps don’t always have a good understanding of what really contributes to their convenience. Many will do and say almost anything to protect them, whilst failing to grasp the key point of the criticism: none of this is necessarily sustainable or representative of a productivity efficiency....MORE
